Dedicated Server or Managed Server? What you need to consider to choose one of them

Thinking about the best place to host your website or maybe you need to expand the capacity of your private network and storage resources? You will have to decide between a dedicated server or a managed one. But do you know what the differences between the two of them are? Find out and make the right choice.

What is a Dedicated Server?

As the name implies, a dedicated server is assigned to a single client. This means that you have control over the server administration and the use of all its resources, including hard disk space or RAM.

You are free to install any software and applications that you need. Also, you are able to make as many backup copies of your information as you wish.

When renting a dedicated server, the datacenter support team does not intervene in its management but just provides the physical maintenance and operating system installation, so it is important that you have an administrator specialized in servers.

A dedicated server gives you the possibility to have 100% of its resources in terms of memory, speed, and information management. For example, if you want to become a web hosting service provider, it may be more convenient for you to rent a dedicated server without having to share the hardware with other users.

This type of server is also very useful for companies that receive large amounts of traffic on their website or those who carry out many online operations. Also, it is good for companies that require the installation of a private network with access to a large database.

What is a Managed Server?

A managed server is a variant of a Dedicated Server with slight differences. In this case, the datacenter support team deals with the administration of the managed server. This includes applications and operating system updates, migrations, monitoring, solving troubleshooting of hardware and additional services such as disaster recovery in case the client requires it.

This means that you will not have to worry about managing or maintaining the server in any way. A managed server is very convenient for those companies that want their IT staff to concentrate on other tasks, except for the maintenance of the servers.

There are different options to use a Managed Server. For example, it can host one or more of your websites on the server.

Scalation matters

You must consider that you can rent a Dedicated or Managed server with certain parameters which you can change only on a limited scale. For example, you can add an SSD disk to a server, but only a few of them. In order to do so, you have to restart the whole server. So, it is not so easy to change the capacity of resources.

Server differences

There are some differences between both types of servers according to their features. These are some of the most important:

Resources

There is not a specific size of resources in a Dedicated or Managed server since you can choose different combinations of server parameters according to your needs. You can choose appropriate size of RAM, HDD and CPU etc.

Physical security

When the servers are hosted in a professional datacenter, the security conditions are optimal to maintain the integrity and functionality of the servers. For example, the facilities have cooling systems to keep the good server performance, plus security cameras and fire extinguishing mechanisms that do not damage the hardware in case of emergency.

Savings

Dedicated server: when you rent a dedicated server in a Datacenter, you will save on expensive hardware and maintenance expenses. Also, you will not have to worry about hiring a technician to keep it running.

Managed server: a managed server has the same advantages in terms of investment savings and hardware maintenance. Another important saving is that you will not have to hire an administrator to control the server. The datacenter support team will be responsible for software and hardware updating. You can relax and focus on your project development.

Flexibility

In both cases, the user of a server has a possibility to extend its capacity in a limited way. They may add a SSD disk or change the capacity of RAM, however, the changes are bounded to the physical capacity of a server. For large and frequent changes it is better to use a cloud services.

Administration

Dedicated Server: server management is in your hands. You can, therefore, install the necessary software, update your applications or perform a backup. You do not need to contact a support for any of these operation.

Managed Server: the servers are managed by experienced administrators who can guarantee their trouble-free operation. You can thus fully concentrate on the content and development of your applications without having to think about software updates or backup. Administrators are also deal with attacks, overloading of servers and other problems.

Choose between a managed and dedicated server according to the size of your project

What you must consider before renting a server

Before renting a server, you should ask yourself a few questions to make the right choice that fits your needs and budget. Follow the following guidance:

Choose a managed server if your company has this profile:

You own a small company with a tendency to limited growth.

Your websites have heavy and variable traffic.

You need to minimize the download time and ensure fast access to your website or database.

Your IT team is limited and has little experience.

You're not sure you can spend time maintaining and configuring a server.

You prefer to focus on the development of your project without worrying about activities related to the server.

Choose a Dedicated Server if your company has this profile:

You own a small company with a tendency to limited growth.

Your websites have heavy and variable traffic.

You need to minimize the download time and ensure fast access to your website or database.

You have an IT team with experience in remote servers management.

Your budget is sufficient to maintain the administration and rental costs of a dedicated server.

You would like to maintain entire confidentiality and direct control over your information.

How important is the server's speed

There is nothing like a happy customer. When using the cloud or any network service time is crucial and customer satisfaction depends on how quickly they get what they need.

How long are users willing to wait for a site to load before they abandone the page?

According to a survey by KissMetrics, most people would wait 6-10 seconds before they abandone pages.

People do not have patience when using the internet so the performance of your server is crucial to retain the customers. Regarding a private network, the productivity of your company can be affected by a server that is unable to respond quickly to the data demand.